8 Oct 2015

Despite writing recently about Neale Donald Walsch's books Conversations With God I don't want to give the impression that I subscribe entirely to what he and his God say in those books.

When I first heard of the books when I was getting a Reiki attunement I thought that the idea was pie in the sky. It was not until I was in my late 20's when somebody I was chatting to online on Gary Zukav's old blog (he has a newer one now) mentioned Neale Donald Walsch so I did a Google search for him (not remembering that he wrote the CWG triology and other books) and found his old blog (he also has a new blog now), and read some of his quotes- allegedly from God- and I actually believed them.

I am not going to give a summary of his books as I could be writing for a long time. I regularly reread parts of his books. One thing I will say though is that, in the books God says that he communicates with humans all the time and it is only a question of listening to him. I am inclined to believe that we all have a higer self, or soul, and that our higher self or soul is God or part of God. So these books by Neale Donald Walsch are his converations with his higher self of God. My idea of God is different to that of Neale Donald Walsch (although I believe the vast majority of the material in his books and they have been and continualy are highly beneficial to me) in that I believe in the reality of evil. I don't actually get unduly concerned about possessions and exorcisms and even the devil though believe it or not because the more regular everyday evil we or I come across every day is more pressing and worrying.

M. Scott Peck's books have changed my life more than any other writer ever. Next Neale Donald Walsch's books have helped change, or evolve, me the most and Gary Zukav has a big amount also along with Anthony De Mello's books and those of Eckart Tolle's.

7 Oct 2015

I am inclinded to agree with Neale Donald Walsch when he says that the problems of this world need a spirtual solution and not political or economic or military ones, or at least not in their current forms.

However if we all actually used our brains we could evolve so much without even having to ask for God's help I think.

"One of the major dilemmas we face both as individuals and as a society is simplistic thinking- or the failure to think at all. It isn't just a problem, it is the problem". - M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Travelled and Beyond.

I know that a lot of you reading this use your brains. Could you imagine if everyone on this earth used their brains and actually sought with curioristy and enthusiasm to increase their consciouness and knowledge of this earth and it's people? We wouldn't have a problem!

29 Sep 2015

I remember reading one of Neale Donald Walsch's books where it said that alcohol irrespective of the dose impairs the mind. I just read this page long description on alcohol (well mostly alcoholism) and it is eery how accurate it is to me (I used to have a drink problem) and it makes me look at a lot of people differently: people who I didn't think had a drink problem but now I can see that they have (even if most of them can function by and large day-to-day)- including looking at most people in our society generally differently as I recognise now that most people, or the majority of people, are suffering from damage from alcohol to a greater or lesser extent also.

(In Ireland anyway- I will let others judge and comment on their own respective countries.)

I have highlighted what to me really sticks out. Not many people may be interested in reading the whole page.

Here is the article republished:

Alcoholism is a four fold progressive disease

Robin Foote

Alcoholism is a disease of the body, thinking, emotions and spirit.
Progressive damage to these four aspects interact in various ways such
that a person is increasingly compelled to drink. Also, once drinking
starts they cannot 'always' guarantee when they will stop or how much
they will drink.

The Body
A genetic predisposition. Fifty percent of alcoholics have an
inherited genetic makeup that almost guaranteed they would become
alcoholic when they began to drink heavily. For example, the brain
chemistry of some children or grandchildren of alcoholics actually
encourages heavier drinking.Alcohol Metabolism. Alcohol is metabolized differently by some
people. As a result the body and brain requires more alcohol to have the
same effect than normal drinkers would need.
Cell alteration. All heavy drinkers undergo changes at the cellular
level of the brain. Where the brain cells meet extra receptor positions
grow to receive the heavy dose of alcohol related chemical messengers.
When not drinking these extra receptor positions demand to be filled
thus creating a craving for alcohol.
Brain damage. Alcohol, in any quantity, is poisonous to brain cells
and kills off cells in their millions. The most critically affected
parts of the brain are those that deal with short term memory, decision
making and rational thinking. Women heavy drinkers develop brain damage
with less drinking than men.

Liver Damage. The most common liver disease of alcoholics is
cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver. This disease results in reduced and
corrupted chemicals being sent to the body which can result in damage to
other organs. Women suffer liver damage with less alcohol consumption
than men.

Alcoholic Hepatitis (AH). AH is caused by other liver diseases most
notably cirrhosis of the liver. More than 60% of persons who develop
both AH and cirrhosis will die within four years. AH can cause changes
in sleep patterns, mood, and personality; psychiatric conditions such as
anxiety and depression; shortened attention span; and problems with
coordination may occur.

Brain Chemicals. The body and especially the brain relies on the
liver to filter important body fluids and excrete wastes. As a result of
contaminated chemistry from a damaged liver the brain does not function
properly. Typically a person will have cloudy and slowed thinking.

Heart Damage. Heavy drinking causes damage to the heart muscles. The
heart pumps less blood and an abnormal heart beat may develop. Women
suffer heart damage with less alcohol consumed than men.

Skeletal Muscles. Heavy drinking causes muscles in the arms and legs
to shrink. For example, an alcoholic may have legs that are out of
proportion, skinnier, than the rest of their body. Sufferers may become
embarrassed about their body shape.

Cancer. The risk of cancer increases with greater alcohol
consumption - more so in women. Cancer can develop in the upper airways,
the liver, breasts and the bowels.
Sexual Organs and Sexuality. Heavy alcohol use shrinks the
testicles. In men and women the breasts grow larger. Men produce more
female hormones and women produce more male hormones. Men become less
virile and women become less feminine. As a result a persons sexuality
and libido is altered.

They may sense change in their sexuality and over compensate by
becoming more sexually active. Indiscriminate or intoxicated sexual
activity raises the risk of getting sexually transmitted diseases.

Thinking
As detailed before various damaged body organs and altered chemistry affect how the brain thinks.

This buildup of thinking changes occurs over an extended time
period. These small changes are usually unseen by the sufferer. The
person reacts by adjusting their reasoning and behavior to accommodate
their new ways of thinking. Alcoholics always adjust their thinking in
ways that are harmful to themselves. And further, they cannot see the
impact of their new coping style.
Typically they begin to adopt a siege mentality. Inner-self
feedback, and from other people, indicates they are not quite at one
with their 'inner' selves or the person they once were. Their
experiences seem to paint a picture to the sufferer that people around
them are against them, or are better than them, or are just different
from themselves. They become insecure, angry, ashamed, depressed and
anxious about their altered attitudes and actions.
This siege mentality generates a self-centered perspective to
protect their self concept. They become takers and non-givers. "I want
what I want and I want it now", sort of thing; "I need a drink, now";
regardless of the needs of others. And, when they do not get it they
assert themselves even more, becoming more demanding as the disease
progresses.

Alcoholics will increasingly try to cope by drinking more alcohol to
take away the pain of their perception of being isolated in thinking
and behavior. They slowly adopt a denial attitude to their real
condition, which they eventually believe is reality for them.

The alcoholic drinks more due to a different brain chemistry and
metabolism, has craving for more alcohol due to cell alteration and
organ damage, and drinks more to cope with the effects of their changed
thinking and behavior. They are drinking to feel normal.

The Emotions
From the above it can easily be seen that their emotions become
strained and twisted. They become emotionally dependent on achieving and
keeping a state of denial of their true situation. They deny it to
themselves and others. If their alcoholism is in threat of being exposed
or their alcohol supply is threatened they may protect themselves with
anger, bluff, self-pity, manipulation, depression, running away &
etc.

They 'feel' as if they must continue their current emotional and
thinking stance at all costs. Alcohol has become their best friend and
they are loyal to it.

The Spirit
The spirit of a person is the centre of their personality. If, as
seen above, the person is not thinking, feeling or acting as their true
self would, not aligned with their spiritual self, they are spiritually
ill at ease; or dis-eased.

A Solution
The progression of the disease must be arrested by stopping drinking
and restoration of health in all four areas - body, thinking, emotions
and spirit.

It is the dis-eased spiritual state that is targeted by the most
successful treatment service world wide - Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).
Through the Twelve Steps of recovery each person finds their inner,
spiritual self by stripping away the effects of alcoholism and fixing up
the wreckage of past thinking and actions. They begin to live a life of
freedom from alcohol that has had them enslaved.http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/opinions/11632

19 Jul 2015

UNAIDS released their 2015 annual report in Addis Ababa in Ethiopa during the week in which they said that they have met the UN Millennium Development Goals target of having 15 million people on antiretroviral drugs for HIV nine months ahead of schedule. They say that there are 19.8 million people in the world who know they have HIV and again that for the first time 15 million of them are on antiretroviral drugs. They believe that there are 36.9 million people with HIV or AIDS in the world but that the other 17 million people are unaware that they have it. They expect that there will be universal coverage of the drugs by the end of the SDGs in 2030. I really hope that it happens a lot sooner though. Getting people tested and those who have HIV or AIDS treated has to be a bigger priority so that everyone who has HIV have as long a life as people without it. Getting everyone who has HIV treated is as important a goal as making sure everyone has enough food to eat and water to drink.

2 May 2015

We all know that HIV is manageable and treatable. In the West people with HIV have access to the anti-retrovirical drugs that manage the illness. If you have HIV and you do not have access to these drugs, or if you present to doctors too late with the illness, you will die of AIDS. I watched a couple of videos on Youtube a while back of people dying with AIDS. One of a young American man who died of AIDS in 1990 when we did not have the anti-retrovirical drugs and who contracted the illness through hetrosexual sex, and another more modern video of a AIDS ward in a country (I forget where exactly) in Africa. Millions of people living with HIV/AIDS in developing countries are not receiving the anti-retrovirical drugs.

5 Feb 2015

I have spoken to Suzanne Costello the CEO of Alcohol Action Ireland a few times over the last month and I will be interviewing either her or her Communications Officer Conor Cullen sometime on the week of the 16th Feb. I was hoping to get her this week but the bill won't become law for upto or around another year yet so it will do no harm to interview them in another couple of weeks. I personally am happy with the bill planned. There will be more debate about it before it gets signed into law but I cannot forsee any significant changes to it although I could be wrong. I think that getting alcohol advertising banned from the media is even more important than ending the connection with sporting organisations. There will be a review three years after the law comes in looking at the whole question of advertising again. The bill I think is good as a start. It should make a big difference I think over time.

I met Sorcha Nic Mhathúna from Oxfam Ireland today in their Headquarters on Thorncastle Street to talk about the report they launched last week a couple of days before the World Economic Forum met in Davos. The launch of this report is just one action as part of Oxfam International's Even It Up campaign to try to overcome the problem of income inequality internationally.

President Michael D. Higgins launched the year in Dublin Castle today. I went to it for Near FM & Raidió na Life and did six interviews at it including with President Michael D. Higgins. I also spoke to Fiona Coyle from Dóchas; with Paula Galvin a teacher and social activist; with Jim Clarken from Oxfam and with Sharan Kelly from Tearfund and the current chairperson of Dóchas.

I started a Dublin West election threadfor the GE in my area last week. It is worth checking out occassionely if you live in the area. The Dublin West threads are amongst the small number of better threads on that website.

Micheál Martin made a great point when interviewed on RTÉ Radio 1 yesterday that he would prioritise funding to services before (small) tax cuts etc. in future budgets. As he said what is the point in a lot of people having an extra €200 a year (which a lot of if not most don't of course since the last budget with Irish Water also coming in) and they can't access decent services. I agree with him of course.

The inequality in Ireland and in most countries in the world is actually unbelievable. Even if we in Ireland and other Western countries are not dying of starvation like in some countries in the Sahel in Africa the level or degree of inequality in Ireland is unbelievable. A drive around Dublin and other cities will tell you that.

Anyway Oxfam Interntional launched a huge new campaign and report a couple of months ago called "Even it Up" to try to change the shocking level of inequality around the world- in rich countries and poor- and I interviewed Sorcha Nic Mhathúna from Oxfam Ireland about it. (Tá an dara agallamh as Gaeilge.)

Gorta Ireland's oldest overseas development NGO merged a few months ago with Self Help Africa and they are now called Gorta-Self Help Africa in Ireland and Self-Help Africa in Africa. They work in ten African countries and hope to help three million people to help themselves in these countries in 2015! They do great work and I am happy to help them as a volunteer in Ireland. :)

I first became aware of this issue even existing only around two years ago. I have since interviewed two specialists on it- Niall Roche a WASH specialist and lecturer on global health and Brynne Gilmore from the Irish Forum for Global Health and the Centre for Global Health at Trinity College (interviews below) and I also discussed the topic with Claire Lynch of Aidlink who works on this matter in Uganda and with Hans Zomer when discussing the recent Millennium Developments Goals Report and the post-2015 International Development Goals targets.

If anyone wants to show that you work in the Community & Voluntary & Development Sector I started a Linkedin and Facebook page called just that so we can display on our profiles on those social media sites that we work in the sector.

I still think we need the International Development NGO's though of course. It can be easy to forget about it for me interviewing mostly Irish people from the development sector, but I think that most staff working for the Dev NGO's abroad are actually from those countries.